The North American Aerospace Defense Command said today that multiple aircraft are on their way to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. In an unusual move, NORAD’s announcement repeatedly said that the mission, which “will support various long-planned NORAD activities,” is a routine operation.
“This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances,” the statement continued. “The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities.”
The announcement, and NORAD’s insistence that this is something Denmark is well aware of, comes amid heightened tensions over the island as the Trump administration continues to insist that the United States take control of it. Earlier today President Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to take the island. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Defense Command and Ministry confirmed it would “immediately take up the fight” if Danish territory was invaded. Greenland is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark. NATO member states have recently sent troops to the country in a show of support to Denmark.
Task & Purpose reached out to NORAD for more information on the deployment, including what types of aircraft and how many personnel are involved. A spokesperson for the command declined to answer, but again stressed that the deployment is “routine,” “long planned” and something Denmark is aware of.
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Pituffik, formerly known as Thule, is home to roughly 150 American troops and overseen by the 821st Space Group. Its numbers grow when it hosts exercises, and American and NATO partner forces regularly conduct training missions on Greenland. Those include Operation Noble Defender, which sees Danish, Canadian and American forces participate. Pituffik, located in Greenland’s northwestern area, experiences extreme cold and often months of darkness. It is the U.S. military’s northernmost outpost and in the last month the military put out contracting bids for a major overhaul of Pituffik Space Base’s runways and infrastructure.
Last summer the Department of Defense moved Greenland from the purview of European Command to Northern Command. The commander of Pituffik Space Base was also fired in the spring after writing an email seen as disagreeing with the Trump administration’s efforts to control Greenland.
